Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-08-06
ON THE BEACH.
By PRANK J. MARTIN

lounge in his bachelor room, holding m
open letter IN his hand. 1t was a pretty,
Weil-furnished loom ia The front Of a house
on one OF the most fashionable uptown
streets in New York, and presented such a
cheerful appearance that We might fairly
suppose that even a bachelor lawyer could
be happy within its limits. Yet Richard
Ryder was FIR from being contented, and
the letter in his hand was the cause OF his
dissatis. ed frame Of mind. This is what
was written in the letter.
-RED sHELL BAY - Monday.
DEAREST DICK 1t is long while since /
Wrot5 YOU but hope you have not thought very
III Of me. 1 could not write before and now il is
almost breaking my heart j can never be your
We ID OK, for ain guiu 70 marry Walter HOcE-
WslI-and j hate him on DICE my love hlvr
can ever marry thar man when my heart is
Dick but pity ne NViII Won come md SEQ ne
once more dear before them II so, come on
Thursday. MILDRED
Il was now Tuesday evening, and Dick
wondered what good could come Of another
visit 10 his love. Dick Ryder was good
hearted fellow, and loved Mildred Trevor
dearly but he felt little sore over the con-
tents Of her letter. He was pretty well ac-
quainted with the circumstances which led
up to this decision of AIldred's- The
Frevors had been ricb and had raised their
only daughter amid all the luxury and re-
hnement which wealth could command.
Two years before our story opens, how
ever, Mr.. Trevor had died, leaving his wife
and daughter much poorer than ought to
have been The case
Mildred herself loved wealth and af-
nuence, but her mother much more so.
The latter had led her daughter 10 believe
that the one object now TO be attained by
her Was rich husband. So when Walter
Rockwell, q wealthy young merchant,
offered his hand in marriage she accepted
his offer. She never loved him-never
pretended 10 love hIm-but then up TO that
she had Loved And
then Dick Ryder, handsome, clever and
gOod-hearteds came upon the scene, and
Mildred Trevor loved him and he loved
her. Perhaps If Mildred had been LETT TO
herself and her feelings in the matter she
would have broken her engagement with
Rockwell and married Dick. But strong
outside influence was brought to bear upon
her, especially by her mother. Mr. Rock
we'll, too, pressed his suit and tried TO
hasten tie date for the wedding, while
Dicks practice grew very slowly. So the
end OF It i'll was the letter which Dick now
held in his hand.
Mr.. Ryder could not make up his mind
that evening as IA whether or not il would
be wise for him TO 90 to Red shell Bay.
and retired to spend tue night in troubled
dreams of Mildred and the Rockwell ogre.
Next morning he was no nearer q sOiu-
ton of the difficulty, but. as 10 o'clock
drew near. he remembered that he had
promised TO see his chum, Tom Stevenson.
embark on the Etruria for Europe. He
hurried to the pier and found his friend.
They chGtted away amid the hustle and
o. din around thems and Just as the sailors
began 10 clear the decks of those who
were not passen gers Stevenson said.
by the way, Dick, I heard something a
day or two age of your rival, Rockwell ]
heard he was married 10 an English girl in
London year or two ago and did not use
her very we'll. think there is more truth
than fiction in the report, too"
step on the gHngWays sir, said one OF
the ships Omcers 10 Dick, giving that
young man gentle shove on the pier.
But Dick was aroused by his friends re-
mark. and, at the risk of being noticed by
the crowd, shouted" Stevenson Tom
Mr.. Stevenson appeared at the side OF
the steamer. Try and learn all you can oil
that matter. Tom, for Gods sake, and tele-
graph me-"
@Au right. replied Stevenson. as it SC
bad as that2 Well, goodbye, old fellow
I'll not forget" But Dick was too mucE
engrOssed in his own thoughts to bid his
friend goodbye" or wish him bon Uoyage
One thing Dick Ryder was resolved upon
he would 90 down to Red Shell Bay, anC
he would start that very evening.
Red Shell Bay is an out-of-the-way
quiet little summer resort on the New En-.
gland coast besides the one small hote
there are perhaps a dozen cottnges-alto.
gether toe Insignificant q place for tn,
railroad 70 include along its line. So tn,
Iron Horse phssad Red Shell Bnv full ter
miles 10 the westward, and communication
with New York and Boston Is kept mp bl
means of a steamer which, during the sum,
mer months, makes bi-weekly trips.
j his was Wednesday, and tie stsame
left New York Tuesdays and Fridays, so
II DIX would be ut Red She ] Bay OF
Thursday he must take the train to Derby.
vile and walk or drive the additional tel
miles. SWELL" thought he, II have Offer
walked it before, and 1 think can do j
once morei / can walk over early in III
morning"
However Dick missed the night train
and the train that left New York on Thurs
dAy morning did not bring hum TO Derby
vile until o'clock in the afternoon
Meanwhile he had telegraphed 10 Mis-
Trevor
WIN walk over from Derbyvine. Thursda
evening. Try and meet me at the old p ace
The DerbyviIle road lay for more thai
two miles along the top Of the cliffs befor
Il entered the seaside village Of Red Shell
Bay. Dick had been wont TO leave III
highway and take to the sands where Nil
drsd had several times met him to bea
him company at the close of his walk.
IL was rust shutdown when Dick came &
the point where he usually left the roa,
for the beach, aud although it was tn
close OF a sultry day in August, the oeeal
appeared unusually sullen, while the SIX
looked wild with that strange mixture o
thick blnczness and hery redness which W
sometimes see before a terrible storm.
Dick began TO think that he was in for
vet skin, If for nothing else, and hope
that Mildred had not started out. Hardl
had the hope escaped his thoughts whei
from his elevated position he saw in III
fading light perhaps quarter Of mi
down the shore, the well-remem6ere
girlish figure Mildred He quickened hi
footsteps, and as speedily as possible de
scended 20 the beach. 1t did not tax
him more than two minutes, but in tia
short space Of time the stormy tWiigt
changed 70 pitchy darkness. II was feRI
fully dark-so dark that Dick could nd
see the waves. though he could feel Ia
surf break at his feet. All 1t was hig
tide too, and still running IN. If It wer
not that he had seen Mildred he would eel
tainly now have nsturRed TO the ROADWAY
now he must hasten to her aid. Yet b
could not mike much he0dWuy. ii
had to rereatediy dodge the adyancin
waters, audit was 20 dark he could see moth
ing. When he thought he had walked
quarter Of q mile LIE halted and shOute
~Mildred!1 But no voice responded to hi
call. Again and again he repeated hi
halloo, and, just as he began to think
terrible calamity had overtaken his sweet
heart be stumbled over something
Woman-Mndred.
Dick was on his knees in an instant, an
was horrlhed to ind Miidreds dress an
hair soaking vet. She lay as though dea
perhaps She was dead-and yet she eoul
hardly have been drowned. though even
that moment huge wave broke uncOm
1ortaoly close 10 Dick and his lfeless com
panion.
Dick Ryder was no simpleton; he did nd
lose his sensess although his heart was sa
ana heavy. HIS first care was to carry til